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Koiuta, V.2	By : dragonslover1 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1338 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: 'Naruto' is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I am not profiting from this fanfiction.

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Koiuta, Love Song V.2

　

A Leaf Ninja At Last

　

　

The interview had gone well.

Tsunade had summoned Tasha for evaluation that evening, going into detail about the girl�s past. Certain things weren�t adding up, though it seemed Tasha, at least, believed everything she was saying. Belief could be misled, however, and Tsunade admitted that the theory of the Tsuchikage going after the jewel was bizarre. After everything that had happened a few years back, the five kage had—
essentially—
allied more firmly.

She�d been corresponding with the Kazekage, too, putting their heads together to puzzle this out. The Tsuchikage wasn�t happy that Tasha had gone missing, but he wasn�t attacking, either. So far Tasha�s whereabouts were unknown to him—
or so Gaara suspected. Still, although both Tsunade and Gaara believed that the Tsuchikage wouldn�t take such a route over the jewel, they admitted that the evidence didn�t look good.

The Tsuchikage himself claimed he wanted Tasha returned because she�d murdered her team, and he wished to investigate the event thoroughly. This included interrogating Tasha as needed. Officially, she�d been branded a missing nin of Iwagakure. Iwa�s own ANBU had been dispatched to recover her.

And so, as Tsunade spoke with Tasha, she was also putting together another plan in her mind. Nearby, in plain sight, was an ANBU agent, listening in. This was part of the plan, though Tasha didn�t seem concerned. The interview lasted for several hours, Tsunade probing for every detail she could, starting from the event which resulted in the deaths of Tasha�s team to the jewel itself and to Tasha�s own training.

At the end, Tsunade had various ideas regarding how to team up Tasha and even gave the younger woman a forehead protector blazing Konoha�s leaf symbol. Tasha looked elated as she took it, hugging it to her chest. And the single most appreciative and polite �thank you� Tsunade had ever heard came from Tasha that day. She was dismissed, but after leaving, Tsunade looked pointedly at her ANBU operative.

�Thoughts?� she prompted.

There was a pause from the agent, a fox-themed mask covering the face beneath it. This was a very special, very particular being, one Tsunade had recently acquired and had been without allegiance until reaching Konoha years ago. Since then Tsunade had used her skills often, had even made use of the woman�s resemblance to their country�s own Naruto a time or two.

Hence the fox-themed mask, the spiky blonde locks, the ensemble altered to make her female body appear male. This agent was designed and used to throw off everyone she might encounter—
though such methods were proving unnecessary, Tsunade had discovered. Where this one went, no suspicions were ever raised. She was easily one of the best shinobi in Konoha.

Which was why Tsunade felt she could use the woman�s expertise here.

The agent finally responded, �From what I know of the Tsuchikage, this is unlike him.� A pause. �Tasha believes in his guilt, but there is more to this tale.�

Which is what Tsunade had suspected, herself. With a nod, she replied, �I hereby formally charge you with a mission, then. First seek out Kazekage-sama. Learn everything he knows, consult with him, and alter your further plans as necessary as you go. Then investigate Tasha�s own claims that her team attacked her by order of Tsuchikage-sama. Avoid confronting him at all means. Do not be discovered and do not oppose any Iwa-nin. Return when you have answers.�

A sharp �hai!� was her response as the ANBU clasped her hands together and vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

There was something fishy about all of this. If an order was sent to have Tasha killed, as the girl believed, because a cousin had been born with stronger chakra points, then Tsunade doubted the Tsuchikage had given it. But if he had—
and that was a big �if�—
then there was more to this than meets the eye.

Her main fear? That he�d been murdered and an imposter was in his place, as had happened years ago with the fourth Kazekage. Such a thing would mean Akatsuki was not the final problem in their world and could imply a far deeper conspiracy than Tsunade wanted to deal with. Worse, it would mean that the chakra jewel was the ultimate prize to this scheme.

These thoughts distressed Tsunade greatly.

- - -

After leaving the tower, Tasha decided to wander, once again touring the village. This time she did so alone and she liked the solitude, liked the privacy to think to herself. She put on her Konoha bandana as she wandered, enjoying the new smiles she was given with that symbol blazing upon her brow. Overall, she was very pleased.

Sometime later, just after dark, she stumbled upon training grounds. She spotted Kiba among the ones there, along with a boy dressed in green and a blonde girl in a violet top and skirt. Akamaru was lounging nearby, watching but not participating.

Tasha decided to step in, giving the combatants pause. �Kiba,� she greeted with a nod. To the others, she said, �Nice to meet you. My name is Tasha.�

The one in green was quick and polite, giving her a bow as he replied, �Rock Lee.� She thought that was a peculiar name.

�Yamanaka Ino,� the blonde answered. She was more out of breath than the others.

�Am I interrupting?� Tasha asked with a glance at Kiba. She noted a slight blush to his cheeks as he looked away, recalling that not too long ago she�d been getting frisky with Shino when Kiba had stumbled upon them.

She turned her gaze elsewhere, her own cheeks heating.

Ino noticed, glancing between the two of them with an arched brow. �Not exactly,� she said, a peculiar tone to her voice.

�We were practicing,� Lee explained, �to overcome our weaknesses.�

Oh. Tasha blinked at that, then smiled. �Do you mind if I join in, then? It could be a challenge,� she told them.

Kiba snorted. She sent him a glare, even as he replied, �Tasha, we�re Chuunin. Lee is even a Jounin. No offense, but you have no chance.�

Now red colored her cheeks for a different reason, indignation rising up. How was she supposed to not take offense to that? Annoyed, she snapped, �None of you have seen me fight. How do you have any idea what my skill level is? If you recall, I succeeded in killing my team in seconds!�

Kiba�s eyes narrowed on her then, and she realized too late that it was a horrible thing to say. With a wince, she gazed out at the others, finding silence, confusion and quiet anger in the others.

�They turned on me,� she tried to defend herself. �I didn�t have a choice.�

Ino glanced up at her forehead protector, then said, �Where are you from, then?�

�Iwagakure,� Tasha answered, a note of melancholy escaping her. She didn�t like thinking of that place. �I�m sorry, this is a terrible start. I shouldn�t have stopped here. Forgive me,� she said with a little bow, deciding to leave. She turned away.

To her surprise, the group chose then to block her. In hindsight, Kiba must have silently vouched for her, then got the others to agree. Whether it was to salvage her pride or injure it, she didn�t know, but they accepted her presence for some training. The four of them rotated partners randomly as they went. To Tasha�s dismay, she found the skill level between them was devastating.

In no way would she ever be able to match their sheer power, skill and experience. Not currently, anyway. Her only saving grace in that fight, as her pride was pounded down into nothing, was that she knew battle itself better than anything else. Even unarmed, she managed to start manipulating whichever opponent she was facing, until she actually managed to land a single cut upon one of Lee�s toes as he leapt away from her.

She�d taken a hell of a beating in that time, and had excused herself long before the rest had concluded their training. She opted to rest with Akamaru, leaning on the large hound, for a little while before returning home. It was the happiest she�d ever been when she walked through her door to flop upon her bed.

Almost against her will, her hands began wandering as she lay there, thinking of this afternoon and Shino�s presence. Shino�s lips. Shino�s hands. In no time she stroking herself between the legs and she snapped herself out of it just as her heart began to pound in her neck. Shaking her head, she went for a shower, deciding to clean today�s training from her skin.

A relaxing hour later, she was standing before the bathroom mirror in pants and her black undershirt, examining her new bruises, when a knock sounded at her apartment door. She called the person in while leaning close to see the bruise at her cheek, then eyed the nearly-healed cut higher above it—
right under her jewel. Ugh. She hated that scar.

�Tasha-chan?�

That was Hinata. And, Tasha realized, the girl had added an endearment to her own name. She smiled. �In the bathroom,� she called back. �I�m decent.�

Hinata poked her head around the corner with a tiny smile, that knowing look still upon her face. Then, seeing what Tasha was doing, Hinata frowned. �What happened?� she asked.

Tasha shrugged. �Jumped into a training exercise,� she explained. �Kiba, Ino and Lee,� she recounted.

Hinata�s eyes went wide. �You fought with Lee?� she echoed, disbelief and shock on her face. �And you�re still alive?�

That last was clearly meant as a joke, but Tasha did feel kind of lucky she hadn�t perished. That man hit like a boulder. Still, she downplayed the event. �I�ve had harder knocks,� she shrugged. She turned to face the other woman with a smile of her own. �So,� she went on, �are you planning to stay for dinner?�

�I was hoping to stay all night,� Hinata answered. Then she stepped fully into view, a backpack in one hand. �I hope you like slumber parties, because we have a lot of catching up to do and I�m not taking �no� for an answer.�

That statement warmed Tasha further. Not only had she gotten a boyfriend over the part week, but she�d gotten at least one friend. She liked Konoha all the more now. �In that case,� she replied with a dramatic sigh, �you�ve twisted my arm. I�ve no choice but to accept.�

Hinata chuckled. �Good, because you have details and I want to hear all of it.�

Obeying, Tasha went ahead with the coveted �details�, leaving out only the more personal things. This included things she suspected were personal to Shino, too, so she really didn�t do much except recount events. As Tasha went on, Hinata became more and more enraptured, visibly pleased by everything Tasha was saying. She spoke of how easily Konoha had charmed her, how Shino had wormed his way into her heart, how happy she was to just be able to live here. With pride, she displayed the forehead protector she�d been given that afternoon.

Tasha learned things about Hinata, too. According to the older girl, Hinata had once been very shy, but had since blossomed into a confident being. She accredited the change to a crush she�d had for nearly a decade—
one which had since dwindled, as the boy she liked had ended up focused on another. But she still treasured the memories and how he�d indirectly helped her escape her own shell of self-doubt. It was a pleasing story for Tasha to hear.

After hours of this, during which time the girls prepared and ate dinner (Hinata was a far better cook than Tasha could ever hope to be), the older woman finally sighed, pleased, and commented, �You really like him a lot, don�t you?�

Tasha didn�t have to ask �who�. They�d been talking about him for the last half hour. Hinata had been regaling Tasha with stories of Shino�s past, the adventures they�d had as a team together. She had no doubts that the elaborate retellings of his intelligence and ability were not exaggerated—
but there was definitely a presence of flavor text.

She answered, �Yes, I do. . . Why do you ask?� she wondered aloud.

Hinata gave her a smile. �Every time you say his name, your tone gentles. And I can see a yearning on your face, too. You miss him?�

At that, Tasha blushed. She had hoped to be less transparent. �Every minute,� she admitted with a weary sigh. Her mind wandered back to him every time his name came up, her entire being longing for his presence.

The other woman giggled. �You know, that probably means a lot more to him than he�ll ever let on.�

Eh? �What do you mean?� Tasha demanded, suddenly very alert.

And Hinata answered, �As you can probably guess, his clan isn�t exactly. . .welcomed with open arms. A lot of people are disgusted by them—
which is why they prize anonymity so much. Heck, when Kiba and I were assigned to a team with him, at the very beginning, we were a little wary. It took time to ease up around him. Shino�s had to grow up with that aura all around him,� she explained.

Tasha only nodded. �I already put those pieces together, though,� she commented.

Hinata shrugged. �Still, that means you�re precious to him. An outsider, someone who�s not only from another country, but who had no idea what kind of shinobi he was until after meeting him?� Her voice conveyed the importance of this, and then she was going on, �That�s pretty rare. So with that in mind, let me just warn you: if you end up hurting him for whatever reason, I�ll stop your heart,� she finished with a pleasant smile.

Tasha stilled. �I believe you,� she answered, a wave of dread going through her. She�d seen the way Hinata and her team worked together and knew they cared deeply for one another, even if they didn�t show it very well. Though Shino hardly needed protecting or avenging, he had two capable and willing guards at his fingertips. Whether he wanted it or not, if Tasha did hurt him, Hinata would definitely be coming to collect.

Though she tried to console herself with the knowledge that she wouldn�t be hurting him, ever, not for any reason, the warning shook her. It was a strange thought; she�d faced death plenty of times in her life and though she�d been on the brink more than once, the idea of dying had never really affected her before. It must be Konoha, she reasoned—
or Shino, maybe. . .it was probably Shino—
giving her a true desire to live for the first time.

Before, in Iwagakure, she�d existed. Now, she was living. The difference was monumental and oh, so precious.

Playful now, Tasha found herself blurting, �By the way, here�s a detail for you: he kisses like a god.�

Though Hinata�s face was intrigued at first, it was up in flames by the end, her eyes wider than Tasha had ever seen them. �Tasha-chan!� the older woman chided. �You don�t gossip about things like that!� She huffed, indignant.

Tasha just laughed. �Sure I do. Want some other details, too?� she added with a wink. Hinata scowled, so Tasha chuckled and relented. �Alright. Just be careful what you wish for in the future—
I have a lot more �details� I�ve been keeping to myself.�

�And you should leave them there,� Hinata muttered, her face still pink but her reactions back under control.

The two of them went to bed after that, and, oddly, the presence of a warm body near her own was exceptionally soothing for Tasha. She�d never had that before, either—
someone to sleep beside, relaxed and trusting. It was pleasant. And it made her wonder what it might be like to sleep beside someone else, not a friend but a lover.

She bet it would feel extraordinary.

- - -

Honestly, it was kind of pathetic how much Shino wanted to see her again. He told himself that distance was a good thing—
it would give them both time to themselves, time to pursue any other wants or hobbies. Yet despite his utterly convincing arguments, he still wanted Tasha, and only Tasha. He wondered what would come out of her mouth today, what she would do with her mouth today, what things he could learn of her if only he could find her.

Aside from which, he had questions which needing answering.

He�d only managed to keep from seeking her out for a few hours before he figured, hey, she was his girlfriend, it was his right to see her when he wished. But her apartment was free of her presence—
and, in fact, it had lingering signs of another�s chakra. Even if he wasn�t familiar with this person, his insects still recognized the signature in an instant: Hinata. The two must have had a slumber party or something, he realized, given the state of the room and just how much of Hinata�s chakra remained behind.

Curious now, wondering what the girls must be doing, he went out looking for them. When he didn�t find them in any of the places he�d expected them to be, he sent out a few insects as scouts. Eventually they came back with the information that the girls were out in the forest. He followed that trail, knowing where he was going without even needing his eyes by this point. Ahead was a cliff, a river and a waterfall. It was a beautiful sight.

As he grew near, he could hear a radio and had to laugh. It must be Hinata�s, he reasoned, unless Tasha had managed to convince Hinata to purchase one for her.

Intending to make his presence known, he diverged his path to take him down to the bottom, since he guessed the girls were at the bottom. But when he was about halfway down and could see the wide mouth of the river, he stopped dead, then darted off to a hiding place. He couldn�t help it; they weren�t just there at the river, they were in the river.

They were still dressed, from what he could see, at least mostly. Hinata was somewhat undressed, the shed pieces on the bank. The sight of her didn�t reach him at all; he�d been around her for years and he�d only ever regarded her undressed appearances with passionless notice. But Tasha, oh, she reached him. As he watched from his place, the two women chatting and swimming, the music seemed to grasp her. She pulled herself atop the water and, soaked through, began dancing on the surface.

Hinata laughed and swam backwards, giving Tasha room to pirouette. It rocked him to view. Logically, he shouldn�t be here, peeping on them like he was. It was disrespectful and dishonourable. And sexy. Gods, she was sexy, the way the water flung from her skin and hair as she moved, how her clothing clung to her body. . .how she danced.

He already knew what he would be dreaming about tonight.

A few moments later, when he was ready to either run or reveal himself, he caught Hinata looking up over her shoulder—
at him. She was smirking, a knowing look in her eye. In reflex, Shino lifted a finger to his lips for silence. Now he was embarrassed. Hinata disagreed, waving him over and calling out, �Ohayou, Shino-kun!�

Shit.

Tasha stopped, looking over at Hinata, then following her gaze. Tasha couldn�t see him, it seemed, because she queried, �He�s here?�

With a chuckle Hinata answered, �Yes. He�s being shy, though.�

Tasha wasn�t having that, because she called to him, �Come on, Shino! Come dance with me.�

Gods have mercy. Come dance with her? After the way she�d stirred him up just dancing alone? With a great deal of difficulty he jumped down from his tree to approach the spring, but he didn�t get any closer. �Ohayou,� he said to the ladies. This close, he could see some things he hadn�t before—
namely a series of bruises on Tasha. He�d assumed the dark marks were her lengthy raven locks this whole time. To her, he demanded, �What happened?�

She blinked in confusion. �Considering how vague that was,� she answered, �I�m going to assume you mean this.� She pointed at the violet mark beside her mouth. �I was training yesterday.�

With what?

�Would you like some privacy?� Hinata asked, the slightest hint of a tease to her tone.

�No need,� Shino replied at the same time Tasha said, �Absolutely.� While he turned a glare that she couldn�t see on her, Hinata giggled.

�I�ll let you two catch up,� Hinata told them, climbing out of the water. She wrung out her hair, gathered her discarded clothing, slipped her shoes back on and was gone.

Damn it. Shino had been trying to avoid being totally alone with Tasha—
much as he might want to be, he�d agreed with himself that being in private with her only ever tested his resolve. Even now, outdoors, he was sorely tested. It didn�t help that Tasha was still soaked through, smiling at him as she stood upon the surface of the water.

The music still playing was a welcome distraction. �Where did you get that?� he asked, gesturing it.

Tasha�s eyes darted to it and then back to him, suspicion on her face. �Hinata bought it for me,� she explained, eyes narrowing. �When I promised to pay her back, she stated that her buying it was how I was going to repay my debt to her. I don�t suppose that was your idea?� she prompted.

Though she couldn�t see it, he leveled a blank look on her. �Of course not,� he denied. �Because Hinata is just like that, it was all her own idea.�

Those blue eyes narrowed further, lashes fusing. She crossed her arms.

He forced himself to remember his purpose. He started with, �I actually came here to ask you about your jewel.�

Her face fell, displeasure etched there. �You and everyone else,� she grumbled, clearly perturbed.

With a wince, he replied, �I�m sorry, but it�s. . .important.� Because his bugs wanted her, desperately, and every time he met with her they only grew more frenzied than the time before. He wanted to believe it was just her own chakra, the bugs informing him that they were compatible, that they could have a strong connection—
but he�d never heard of such a strong reaction before, not even among his own clan.

The bugs served multiple purposes, after all, and sensing chakra had a particular use for the Aburame: those with similar chakra got along well and often had strong children. Shino�s own parents had such alike chakra that their bugs often confused the two of them, resulting in unintentional crossed breeding. But the kikaichu in Shino seemed to want Tasha even more than that, which was worrisome for him. If he lost control of his bugs, the end result had lethal potential.

A harrowing thought.

Thus, he had to know if it was her jewel or not. If it was, then fine, he still wanted to be with her, even if they weren�t compatible. In the immediate future, regardless of reason, he planned to continue seeing her, and in the meantime he would just keep tight control of his insects.

Now he offered her a hand, beckoning her from the water, as he said, �Please, Tasha. It�s important.�

With a begrudging sigh, she strode towards him. She took his hand as offered, though she didn�t need it and they both knew it. After regarding him with a sideways look, she stepped away, turning off the radio and wringing out her hair. She had to use both hands to accomplish this. And, he noted as she sat down on the shore, a forehead protector was with her shoes.

He crouched beside her, pointing at it. �Is that yours?� he asked, surprised. Is that where she�d been yesterday after he�d left her?

She followed his point with her eyes and smiled. �Yes,� she answered, turning a prideful look to him. It was marred slightly by the bruise at one corner of her mouth.

�Congratulations,� he told her, happy for her. �Now,� he added with a more serious tone, �I�m sorry, but I do need answers. . .�

�About my jewel,� she sighed. �Why is this important, first?� she prompted, looking at him sideways.

He debated telling her or not, finally sighing when he decided that she had a right to know. �My. . .insects,� he admitted with a modicum of difficulty. �The kikaichu are attracted to chakra, they feed on it,� he told her, �and they can sense it, too. They sense yours, they like yours, and I just. . .want to know. Because of how strong their reaction is, I�m interested in knowing if it�s your chakra or the jewel�s they�re after.�

Her gaze fell as he spoke, a kind of disappointment dulling the brightness of her eyes. She looked away. It confused him more than a little, brows drawing together as he watched her. Why was this distressing for her? Did she. . .want it to be her and not the jewel?

So did he, but they couldn�t know for sure. Not unless he just let his bugs scout her out on their own, and there was no way he was going to allow that. Even if she could control any disgusted reactions she might have, it held the threat of permanent infestation—
something very few could adapt to as an adult. If his bugs swarmed her, she might die just because they would go about laying eggs and breeding. And he wouldn�t be able to control the bugs hatched within her, because those bugs would have been nurtured by her, whether she wanted them to or not.

It would merely end in her death. The thought terrified him enough that he was honestly afraid of so much as letting his bugs out of his skin when in her presence.

�Now,� he said, snapping himself back to the present, �about the jewel. . ?�

A heavy sigh was her response. �Okay,� she agreed, reluctant. �Well, to start with, it�s about two centuries old. . .�
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Koiuta, V.2